State suspends convicted physician assistant's license

A Mt. Pleasant physician assistant who was convicted of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks has been suspended by the state.

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on Tuesday suspended John Eric Robertsí license based on his conviction in the Western Michigan District of the U.S. District Court.

Roberts, who had been indicted by a federal grand jury in early 2012, was employed at Central Michigan Urgent Care and Cornell Health and Wellness at 520 N. Mission St. in Mt. Pleasant.

Roberts was sentenced on Oct. 17, 2012, to four months in prison followed by two years of supervised release with terms including community service and participation in mental health treatment, along with $70,000 in restitution, LARA spokeswoman Melanie Brown said.

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An order issued June 5 by LARA summarily suspended Robertsí license in accordance with the Public Health Code, which provides for the mandatory summary suspension of a health professionalís license upon the conviction of a felony, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of two years in prison or a controlled substance-related conviction, Brown said.

Roberts was among several health care professionals who were indicted by a federal grand jury for alleged Medicare fraud.

Clinton James Cornell, who owned the clinic, was indicted along with Roberts, according to court records.

Cornell had been employed at Lakeshore Spine and Pain, and/or other medical clinics operated by Babubhai Rathod, and was accused of referring patients to that clinic in return for illegal kickbacks, according to the indictment.

Rathod and several others, Rajesh Makwana, Raju Nakum, Sandeepkumar Kantilal Patel, Lino S. Dial Jr. and Andre Blair Smith were affiliated with Lakeshore Spine and Pain and were indicted in January 2012, according to court records.

Another physician assistant, Natalie Schutte, was also named in the indictment.

All of the defendants were accused of conspiring to illegally obtain money by paving and receiving kickbacks for the referral of Medicare and Medicaid patients for electrodiagnostic testing, physical therapy and home health care services that were submitted for payment.

Roberts and Cornell were accused of referring Medicare and Medicaid patients to medical offices, rehabilitation facilities and home health care companies owned and operated by Rathod for testing in return for the receipt of kickback payments at set rates, according to indictments.

Cornell was sentenced to 14 months in prison with two years of supervised release; Smith was acquitted of the charges; Dial was sentenced to four months in prison and one year of supervised release; Patel was sentenced to two years of probation; Schutte was sentenced to two years of probation, Makwana was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison with two years of supervised release; Nakum was sentenced to three months in prison with one year of supervised release, and Rathod is scheduled to be sentenced July 29 at 10 a.m. in U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neffís Grand Rapids courtroom, according to court records.

Susan Field can be reached at 989-779-6075, sfield@michigannewspapers.com or follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/#!/susan.k.field.